The Christmas Spirit
by KaBunny
Summary: Serena is heading home for Christmas as she does every year. She has a surprise waiting for her at home this time....a friend of her cousin Andrew who has never had a real Christmas before. Can she show him a true Christmas? Set over the course of a year.
1. Getting Home

Author's Note: Chapter One Revised!

Title: The Christmas Spirit

Author: KaBunny

E-mail: PG-13

Chapter One: Getting Home

As the wind rushed by the petite girl, she wrapped herself closer into the thick winter jacket. She smiled as the doors to the train finally opened and she could step into the warm atmosphere inside. It had begun to lightly snow just before the train arrived, so a nasty back draft of wind had also started. Winter in the northeastern section of the United States was always a treat. The wind was always howling it seemed and there was always a never-ending supply of snow to shovel and play in. This was especially the case where the young woman would be heading.

The blonde was a lovely woman in general, but she seemed to raise a couple of heads as she moved down the train. She wasn't dressed in a rather flattering way, but the pink of her cheeks from the cold against the pallid color of her skin seemed to bring a certain innocent look to her. Her large, blue eyes or a cerulean color seemed to clash well with the palor of her skin as well. Her hair was of spun silk, curling around her face in excess strands. The true length of her golden lockes was unknown as it was tied back in a high, messy bun with curls dripping out of it in small ringlets.

The woman known as Serena Moone sighed herself into a seat as far away from the door as possible. It was far to cold for her and the way that she clung to the large, warm jacket around her tiny frame seemed to give this fact away. She set the thin bag that looked as though it contained a notebook computer onto her lap as she sat down. It was going to be a long ride to Boston. And even after she reached the large bustling city, she would have a much longer ride to her parents house far to the north.

Everyone passed the young woman by, few noticing her or her lack of interest in all the others upon the train. The young blonde wanted to keep to herself mostly, but it seemed that everyone else on or entering the train had the same general idea. However, occasional whispers of 'Merry Christmas' would ring out around her. None were directed at her, but it was still more cheerful than the drab, glistening weather out the window that she was peering at. Christmas was a time of spirit when around the family and she wouldn't be around her family for several more hours and most likely not even until the following day, but she was still content to listen to the small amount of holiday cheer around her. Normally, she would be in the mood to spread such cheer, but such was not the case this very moment. Serena could feel the exhaustion sliding over her as she made herself comfortable for the long ride.

Serena leaned her face against the cold window, her eyes still watching the snow falling lightly outside. Her curls shifted on her head somewhat and some even managed find their way stuck between her cheek and the window. The snow did not appear as if it was ready to stop anytime soon. So, she looked up when the next best distraction came along, someone sitting down next to her. Serena smiled slightly as the ebony haired man sat down in his seat right next to hers. He looked as though he had had a very hard day just as she had had, but her didn't appear to be taking it as well as she did. She continued staring at him as he brushed the white snow, which contrasted greatly with his dark hair color, out of his slightly damp hair. His eyes were a deep shade of blue, which appeared to match his deep, dark hair immensely. The blonde woman couldn't help noticing that he appeared to be quite attractive.

Finally, he noticed her. She smiled again as he turned his dark midnight blue eyes onto her. He was wearing on the most confused expression that Serena had ever seen. Perhaps, she was over exagerrating it a bit, but he just seemed to draw her in somehow. He had an air of charm around him. The lovely girl seemed to like that instantaneously about him.

"Merry Christmas," Serena said, breaking the silence between them. He arched a brow at her, still as confused as ever. Maybe, he was being cautious? 'Perhaps that's it...,' Serena thought, idly. The dreamy, sleepy smile was still arched, bearing her pearly whites slightly to him.

"Merry Christmas," he replied, smiling quickly before reaching into his bag on his lap and pulling out a rather large book. The blonde took note quickly that it had some medical terms on the front of it. She had no idea what it meant as the only other language that she knew was legal jargon.

"What'cha reading?" Serena inquired, deciding that she would try to strike up conversation. She was going to be sitting next to him for awhile, so she figured she might as well not be lonely doing it. She was personal, talkative person. Silence was usual something that was beyond the blonde. She found it odd and mysterious when someone preferred silence over a happy, engaging conversation.

"A medical journal," he stated simply, turning back to her with the muddled look on his face again. This lovely young woman speaking to him was a complete stranger. Did she want something from him? Was she trying to lull him into a false sense of security? "I don't want to sound rude or anything, but...why are you talking to me?"

"Well, I figured that since I'm going to be sitting here for awhile and apparently you are too, we might as well, you know, make conversation," Serena answered, shrugging nonchalantly. She shifted backwards and then forwards a little bit in her slightly leaned forward position as the train began to make it's departure. "But, I'd understand if you'd just wanted to be left alone to read your...medical journal."

"Conversation is quite all right," he responded, setting his book on top of his bag. His finger had slipped into the page where the book mark had previously been, easily holding the page her desired to continue reading from. "I suppose I should introduce myself, huh?"

"Serena Moone," Serena said, putting her hand out. A small smile slithered across her face as her light colored eyes stared up at him.

"Darien Shields," Darien answered, shaking Serena's small hand. They slipped together easily, the ebony haired man's hand an olive color that contrasted slightly to the pale colored hand of the blonde. Each side of the hanshake was professional and it was easily felt that both were business driven. Darien grinned at Serena who timidly smiled back. A small shock seemed to run through her at the small amount of contact. Suddenly, she felt as if she had known this man her entire life and that they were just old friends who had just begun seeing one another from a long while ago. 'Must be my imagination,' Serena thought, suddenly returning the smile full-heartedly as she pulled her hand out of his. Her shyness slipped away. She wasn't going to let a charming, handsome man get the better of her.

"So, where are you going, Mr. Shields?" Serena inquired, leaning her back to the window in an attempt to get more comfortable. She shifted in her seat slightly, trying to pull the bulky jacker off of her so that she could lay it on her much like a blanket.

"Darien, please. I get Dr. Shields all day and I think it's about time someone used my first name. It's what it's there for right?" Darien asked, shrugging his shoulders lightly as he looked at the medical book in his lap. His finger from his left hand was still placed in his mark page. The book itself seemed very uninteresting in comparison to the lovely woman that was sitting next to him. However, he would need to start reading soon if he would get any information about his current, mysteriously diseased patient.

"I'll call you Darien if you call me Serena," Serena stated, opening her eyes to look at him. She had closed them as soon as he had started speaking. Trains always made her tired and the fact that she had just come from her office before after working all day didn't seem to help the situation at all. Life was always rushing by her just like this train was rushing through the winter weather occuring just outside her window.

"Deal," the ebony haired man said, nodding as he turned his eyes away from her. "I'm going to a friend's house for Christmas. He insisted that I come. I have a whole hospital of patients depending on me and he wants me to leave to Maine for Christmas," He rolled his eyes at this expressed though. Serena laughed at him quietly. She thought it was lovely to have such friends that would even go as far as to threaten you to have a lovely Christmas.

"You're family couldn't get you out of it, hm?" the young blonde woman asked, lazily closing her eyes again. She leaned her head in the direction of the window. The blonde felt herself losing her grip on reality and felt herself slipping into the dream world. She _had_ to stay awake. It was utterly rude to fall asleep on someone in the middle of a conversation especially with someone whom one had just forced to befriend to another.

"No family," Darien said, smiling to keep the mood light. He hadn't noticed that she was drifting off, but he was just starting to pick up on her sleepy tone. "Lost them when I was young..., but I'm all right." He added the ending quite hastily because Serena had sat up giving him a look that said she was feeling sorry for him. He was used to this by now, but he still hated it whenever it happened. He would much more prefer if people just respected the fact that he was parentless and completely content with the concept of it.

"Oh, then, I'm sorry I brought it up," Serena said, her eyes still staring at him. She felt bad for him losing his parents, but it seemed to her that he didn't want pity. He wanted someone to sympathize and that's just what she was going doing. She didn't want to pry and if he refused to answer her questions, that was fine, but she was still a meek, curious kitten when it came to others that didn't suffer similar circumstances to her life. "How did it happen?"

"Car accident when I was six," Darien answered, turning back to look at the medical book in his lap. Oddly enough, he still hadn't moved his finger from within the book. Now, that was discipline. However, he did this because he seemed to find the need to look at anything but Serena. She was staring at him intently and it seemed to unnerve his calm, cool, collected demeanor. He wasn't sure what the feeling in the pit of his stomach was as she stared at him so and he also wasn't sure whether or not he liked it.

"I'm sorry it happened. My older brother died the same way when he was nineteen. That was...," Serena trailed off as she seemed to be thinking. She smiled slightly as she came up with the answer. "That was six years ago when I was seventeen." She was never very good with figures. She had an assistant for that.

"I'm sorry," Darien said, finally looking up from his fidgeting hands. "It seems we have more in common than I thought we would." Her smile was infectious, but the odd feeling was still sitting in the pit of his stomach like a sinking log.

"Don't judge a book by its cover," Serena recited, smiling slightly.

"So, what are you, twenty-three?" Darien inquired, arching his brow slightly as he grinned broadly. He had to enjoy her company while he had it. That was the decision that he had come up with as he pushed the odd feeling away.

"Curiosity killed the cat," Serena muttered, a challenge written in her eyes. She smirked as Darien arched his other brow, creating a surprised look upon his face. A small laugh escaped her mouth as she saw this. It was just too amusing to pass up.

"Yes, but, the answers brought it back," he replied, smartly. The blonde rolled her crystal blue eyes as Darien let out a small chuckle. His laugh was rich as well as smooth. It had acomforting feeling to it as well. "So, where are you headed?"

"Same as you. Maine," Serena answered, leaning back into her comfortable spot against the side of the train. She slid down slightly, snuggling deeper into the jacket that she had wrapped over her small frame. She even managed to tuck her legs up into the seat and under the coat as well. It hide most of the black dress pants that covered her long, thin legs. "Except, I'm visiting my crazy family. I can see it now. My uncle, father, brother, and cousin all having trouble starting one fire between the four of them and my mother and my aunt in the kitchen tossing out their random knowledge of recipes to see who can out do whom in the cooking realm. It's always the same every year, but I never fail to go back. Except...I didn't visit the year Alex died. I just couldn't do it. I guess...I couldn't...face..them...after..."

Darien smiled again as he watched Serena fall into sleep right before his very eyes. Slumber seemed to capture her as she slumped over more and more toward the window. It was interesting how one minute she was awake and then next she was collapsing into a deep sleep. He turned to his book in his lap and opened it, his smile fading slightly. He glanced at her sidelong one more time, shaking his head. He decided to read until his beautiful companion decided to wake up.

--------- ---

The world was shaking, shuddering, and swimming. Well, it was to Serena, anyway. She was quite disoriented and she still didn't realize that she wasn't sleeping anymore. Her dream land still captivated her and hung on for with the last few wisps of its strength, not ready to let her go just yet. She opened her eyes halfway to see a pair of midnight blue eyes staring back at her. "Later, honey, I'm trying to finish these cookies for Mom," Serena murmured, as she closed her eyes again. She seemed to slump visibly as her eyes fluttered around in the drem world once again.

"Come on, Serena," Darien said, shaking her shoulder lightly again. He hadn't moved her off of the seat, but he was slightly bent over her, trying to shake her awake. They had reached their destination and he didn't want her to continue to sleep on the train if it decided to return back to Manhatten. He hed to bend over. If he didn't, he would hit his head on the ceiling due to his tall stature. She didn't seem to be responding to his slight shaking, so he set his other hand on her other shoulder and shook her gently again.

"I'll give you a kiss later, sweetie!" Serena blabbed out, rather loudly. Darien didn't pay attention to the slight stain of pink that covered his cheeks due to the blabber that had escaped her lips. He blinked a couple of times, arching a slender brow in confusion. He shook his head, shaking off the odd feeling that he was getting from this situation. He shook her again, lightly.

"Serena, please," Darien pleaded, his voice soft. He was trying not to frighten her, knowing well how much of a light sleeper that he was. He was obvious wrong about Serena. After this, he would definitely know that she was a deep sleeper. Or maybe she was just incredibly tired?

"Okay, fine," Serena muttered. She appeared to be getting up as she shifted slightly in her seat, but instead of getting up, Serena wrapped her arms around Darien's neck. And before he could realize what she was doing, she pressed her lips to his. Darien was beyond surprised, his eyes wide and his brows pushed up to capacity. His hands had mvoed away from her and were not touching her in anyway, afraid to hurt her or something. His muddled brain from the odd girl seemed to not be processing information correctly. Evidently, she had to be dreaiming about something to randomly up and kiss him for no reason. He didn't think that he had provoked her in any way whatsoever.

The ebony haired man pulled away as quickly as he could get away. Serena was much stronger than she looked and it had taken him awhile to figure out that he might just be able to get away if he tried at all. This only occured after the initial shock wore off. However, those two arms around his neck had prevented him from pulling away for a minute, but he managed it, eventually. He had stood back up, mostly, straight again and when he did that, Serena came up off the seat only to fall lightly back down and wake up immediately as he had been bogged down by her added weight.

Serena stared strangely at Darien who was wiping his lips profusely as he stared wide-eyed and bewildered back at her. "What _were_ you dreaming about to cause you to do _that_?" Darien questioned, wiping his lips several times more. They were still tingling and he could still smell her faint scent of vanilla. It was intoxicating and muddling him much like a cloud of fog appeared around the entire circumference of his brain.

"Huh? What _are_ you babbling about?" Serena looked quite confused. She stretched, her arms reaching skyward or roofward if one included the fact that they were still within the confines of the train. It was definitely one of those moments that would be remembered forever if only Serena could realize what she had done. It was a simple Kodak moment that she could share with her friends as a joke over a meal one day as a humorous situation. However, the ebony haired man wanted answers before anything else occured.

"You kissed me!" Darien blurted out, his cheeks becoming stained with pink again. He wasn't used to being seduced by women and in fact, it completely caught him of guard. Normally, women were sly and tried to slip it by him subtly, which was a course of action that he was either completely oblivious to or could ignore. This was outright abuse!

"I _what_? Just what are you trying to imply here?" Serena asked, looking even more perplexed than before, if that was possible. "But, I was sleeping...and...and...I was _sleeping_!"

"Evidently you weren't sleeping soundly enough because you wrapped you arms around me, pulled me ferociously to you, and placed your pretty, little lips to mine," Darien muttered, still blushing slightly. It was hard to compose himself after being so frightened by an outright come-on. He glanced up and realized some of the exiting people were staring at them. He blushed a deeper color. They needed to get out of here and to a more discreet or discreet _feeling_ location. "How about we discuss this over lunch? I don't want people staring as they are now."

"Okay, we'll discuss this over lunch as soon as we get to Boston," Serena answered, oblivious to the people exiting or the fact that most of the train was empty. She also hadn't realized that the train had stopped and that they were in fact already in Boston. She was such a ditz, sometimes.

"That's why I was waking you up," Darien responded, gaining his calm demeanor back. He had actually adjustined his shirt and brushed off his black slacks a bit as if ruffled by the whole situation. Serena simply smirked and snorted slightly in a tinkle of laughter as she saw him do this. He was, obviously, being foolish and just joking around with her about the whole kissing thing, right? "We're already in Boston. I didn't think you wanted to sleep yourself all the way back to Manhattan."

"Oh, um, heh," Serena replied, blushing of embarrassment. She really was a blonde ditz. 'Uh, nevermind. How could I not notice?' Serena thought, smiling timidly as Darien moved out into the aisle, his head still slightly bent. 'And I still don't understand how I could've kissed him.'

------------ --

After finding the nearest restaurant that they could agree upon and being seated, both Serena and Darien had begun to search through their menus after they had been seated. Darien had flashed a courteous smile to the waitress when she had made her way over to the table. His natural charm seemed to captivate her as she became much more girlish and giggly. Serena noticed this easily, but the ebony haired man that was causing this to occur seemed completely oblivious. The blonde released a few small guffaws at the silly ordeal without managing to catch the attention of either the girlish waitress or the raven haired male. Eventually, they ordered and Serena found Darien bringing his attention fully back to her. He seemed to want something from her, but she had no idea what he wanted of her having already forgotten just why they were sitting here in the first place in her small amount of amusement.

"What?" Serena asked, eventually. She was tired of having the silence spread between them and the fact that he was staring at her intently, trying to get her to do _something_. Or maybe it was say something? It didn't matter to her. She couldn't stand the drawling silence.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"Aren't you going to explain?" Darien questioned, arching a brow. Serena still looked confused. This was evident by the fact that after he asked this, her slender brow above her left eyes twitched upward ever-so-slightly. However, Darien couldn't finish saying what he was asking because the waiter had returned with their drinks and he felt himself suddenly feeling immensely bashful again. He wasn't stupid. He knew the waitress was flirting with him, but this was one of those small things that he could just ignore. As soon as she left, Darien turned back to Serena. "You know, explain why you kissed me?" He was much more hushed when he spoke about this and he even proceeded to lean across the table slightly.

"I still don't remember ever doing that," Serena murmured, a slight blush staining her cheeks. This was silly. Couldn't he just drop it? If half the parties involved don't remember such an act occuring, it wasn't that important, now was it?

"Well, what were you dreaming about?" Darien inquired, pressing the issue further. He had leaned back up to his full posture as he sipped at the water glass on the table.

"Darien! Dreams are personal experiences!" Serena whispered harshly, flushing further. There was no way he was going to hear about her foolish dreams!

"I want to know why you kissed me. And evidently you were still asleep when you did it so it had to do with whatever you were dreaming about. You said something about cookies and your mother," Darien stated, thinking. He was dredging up the information that he had stored of the encounter from the confines of his mind. It wasn't that hard as he was used to doing such things.

"I was baking cookies for my mother when my husband came in and asked for a good morning kiss," Serena answered, still a lovely shade of red. This was silly. Why were they having this conversation? She was staring at the napkin she was wrinkling up in her lap. She looked small and she felt small. This was horrible.

"You have a husband?" Darien asked, completely getting off base. He had noted her lack of ring as he had been...glancing...at her while she had been sleeping. Well, maybe, he was staring just a tad bit, but that was beyond the point. She didn't look married and she didn't have a ring, so the assumption was well versed. However, he didn't expect her to be single in any way or fashion.

"No, but I always dream about my husband," Serena stated, slightly miffed. She crossed her arms and turned away from him, finding her childish nature returning as she blew up her cheeks in slight annoyance. "Anyway, do you want me to finish or not?"

"All right continue," Darien replied, completely interested in what she had been dreaming about. 'So...no husband,' he thought, wrapping his mind around that final thought. He still knew that there was no possible way that a girl as lovely as she would not be taken.

"Well, I dreamed that I woke up and got off the train. Strangely enough, you weren't there. I ended up getting my rented car and driving the rest of the way to Maine as I always do. I got there and, of course, my husband had already been there for a couple of days. I arrived late as I always do because of some client of mine or for some other reason. Well, I ended up showing up to an empty house. Well, it wasn't exactly empty. Everyone was just sleeping. So, I decided to bake cookies for my mother before she woke up. My husband walked into the room and surprised me from behind. He asked me for a morning kiss and I told him that I had to finish the cookies that I was baking for Mom. Then he insisted upon it and I told him that I'd give him a kiss later. He was rather persistent. 'Serena, please' were his exact words, I believe. And so, I conceded so he'd leave me to finish baking the cookies. What else was I supposed to. I mean, if I didn't just kiss him and shut him up then-," Serena stopped. Darien was snickering and trying to hold in the laughter that he contained within his throat. Was he laughing at her or just at her antics? Either way, Serena was not encourage by it and seemed to become in a huff about it.

"Oh, don't get mad!" he replied, trying to shake off the laughter. "I didn't mean to be insulting; it was just amusing that you...were comfortable enough to ramble on about something that is obviously rather personal to you..." He smiled again, suddenly feeling more comfortable. He felt himself relax a bit more than he usually would than with someone he had just met not more than a few hours ago. It was comforting, being with her, oddly enough. Perhaps, it was just because she was such a relaxed and calming person.

"Really? I mean...I thought you were...oh, nevermind. It was silly of me," Serena said, nearly laughing at herself in embarrassment. 'Wait a minute,' Serena thought. 'He sounds just like my imaginary husband does. That's odd.' She whisked this thought away as quickly as it had come to mind. She didn't even know why she had compared them together at all. It was utterly ludicrous."So how are you getting to Maine from here?"

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Chapter has been completely revised. Some general ideas have changed, but most has been kept the same as the original. I've become more detail oriented over the years and my writing style has changed slightly, but my way of thinking has not. I plan on finishing this story, but I can't with my old way of writing, so I must apologize as I take the time to re-edit the story to current writing style. I hope you enjoy the new version as much as the old.

Stay Tuned for Chapter Two: Andrew's Friend...Who exactly is the friend that Andrew invited to join the Moones for Christmas? Serena says good-bye to Darien as they go their separate ways!

KaBunny


	2. Andrew's Friend

Author's Notes: Chapter 2 revision is under way. Oh, and all the reviews aren't from the first chapter. It's from all the previous chapters that I used to have up, but have taken down so I can revise them. HAHA! I wish I was that popular. XD

Title: The Christmas Spirit

Author: KaBunny

E-mail: PG-13

Chapter Two: Andrew's Friend

Darien just shrugged as he looked at the blonde standing before him. His face broke out into a smile when she gave him the confused look that he had given her on the train. He found himself becoming attached to this woman that he had only met just hours before. She looked as tired as he felt, probably from a long night of work just like he had put in. The way her brows creased over her eyes in confusion was just so cute that it had become amusing to someone that hardly ever showed such a face. "I'm taking the bus, but I have to stop off somewhere first," Darien replied, giving a small chuckle of amusement. She just had a certain charming air about her that brought a smile to his face.

"Oh," Serena uttered just as the waitress finally returned. He placed each plate of food in front of its respective orderer, bending slightly across the table. After making sure that both customers appeared to be content, she flashed Darien another flirtatious smile before meandering off, her hips swaying. The ebony haired man paid no heed, still pretending he had no idea what the woman was trying to do. Serena took no notice of this, lost in her own thoughts. 'That's a first! Some guy got me so confused that I had to answer with a one worded sentence...hm? That's never happened before...,' the blonde thought, beginning to inhale her food. She tended to eat rather quickly out of habit or just being a crazy blonde, no one but she knew.

Darien blinked a few times, astonished. 'I hope she doesn't choke or something...I don't want to have to resuscitate her,' Darien pondered, still staring at Serena strangely. 'Boy, that would sound totally lame if I told her. Hell, it sounds totally lame thinking it! Okay, avert eyes and eat, Shields!' His body seemed to move into function as his brain finally told it just what to do. He scooped up the sandwich that was on the plate infront of it, bringing it to his mouth. As he took a bite, he found his eyes drifting across the table tothe uncourtesy blonde who still appeared to be inhaling her food much faster than appeared humanly possible. He nearly laughed and choked on his food, but instead settled to turn his eyes onto anything but her.

Eventually, Serena did realize the stares that she was receiving and slowed her eating considerably. Shef ound a small, pink tint found it's way to her cheeks. The blonde often found such things occuring when she was found in public places. Her eating slowed to a stop and she found herself pushing the plate away from her and more toward the center of the table, nibbling on the remainin pickle from her plate. "So, Darien, where are you stopping along the way?"

"Well, I figured that since spending the holidays with my friend's family was unexpected, I would have to at least _try_ to get some gifts," Darien stated, wiping his mouth with his napkin. He noted that she had completed eating and was nearly amazed that she hadn't keeled over with a piece of food stuck in her esophagus. "So, after I finish shopping I was planning on getting a hotel room and wrapping the gifts. So, I'll be getting there a day later than expected. I think I will be, but...depends on how long the shopping takes."

"Well, that's cool," Serena said, smiling slightly. "Have you ever spent Christmas with these people before? Will it be more like a party or a small family get together? What are your plans when you get there?" The lawyer in her was sneaking out again and she stopped herself froma sking him anymore questions before he could answer the ones that were already given to him.

"Never even met his family before, so I have no idea what will happen after I get there," Darien responded, looking at her oddly. He felt like he was getting the third degree. He found his plate far more interesting now that she seemed to take a liking to what was going on in his life. "In fact, I've never really done anything for Christmas. The orphanage never really paid much heed and well, after I grew up I was far too busy with college and work to do anything. So, this will essentially be my first Christmas."

Serena was gawking at him. She could hardly believe her ears. 'First Christmas? Now I feel bad...here I am blabbing on about how much my family is a pain in my rear during Christmas, despite the good times I always have there, and he's never even _had_ a Christmas before. How heartless and thoughtless of me,' Serena thought, mentally scowling at herself. She closed her mouth, biting her bottom lip. She felt guilty for even bringing up the subject, having forgotten about what he had said about his past earlier. He didn't seem to mind her bringing up the subject, but this still didn't make her feel any better about reminding him. This mental battle seemed to attract the attention of the other occupant of the table.

'Was she just having a mental argument?' he thought, a smirk gracing his face. He found himself snickering again at this enigmatic girl that showed more expression than he could ever hope to show. 'Wonder why she was arguing with herself.' His mind then trailed off to the kiss that he would always remember receiving from her as an utter stranger. He brushed the thought away knowing that he had set it behind him and the she had to have set it behind her. It didn't stop the unwarranted blush from reaching his cheekbones though.

As his eyes drifted up, he realized that Serena was giving him an odd look. It was the same look that he had given her moments before. He couldn't help himself. He broke out in a fit of laughter. His laugh was rich and intense, heart warming even. He hadn't laughed like that in a few months and it felt good. Serena arched her brow in surprise which only caused the ebony haired man to laugh harder, clutching at his sides in amusement. He had never thought that such an expression on someone who should never look such a way would ever be so amusing. 

"Care to indulge me as to what is so amusing?" Serena voiced her thoughts.

"N-nothing," Darien said, regaining his composure. He sniffed, almost losing it again to another bout of laughter. He straightened his face into cleaner lines before deciding to reassure her again. "Absolutely nothing." The blonde wasn't thoroughly convinced, but she was satisfied with his lie for now. She stared at him for a few brief seconds before she looked at her watch. She sighed as she looked back up to him, knowing that they would have to part very soon.

"Sorry to cut our visit short, but I have to be going. If I ever plan on making it to my family's house by tonight, I have to leave in a bit," Serena said, smiling sadly. She locked eyes with the gentleman across the table from her. He was certainly an interesting character. 'It was fun while it lasted.'

"Ah, it's fine," Darien responded, brushing off the lack of his insult about her time schedule. He didn't mind that she had to leave. It had been interesting; that was for sure. The waitress then returned to pick up the plates. She bent over the table again, making sure to pause when she was infront of the ebony haired male, hoping to catch his attention. She set the check onto the table, muttering something about having a good day. She flashed a remaining smile at the handsome blue-eyed male before skittering off with their plates in hand.

Both occupants at the table reached for the check, their hands clahsing together just above the check on the table. A silent war was about to begin as light blue clashed with the deeper shade of blue from across the table. Each soldiers' eyes were alert and their reflexes were impeccable as both readied themselves to steal the check from the other. The check was closer to the ebony haired man, but that didn't deter the fierce blonde in any way as she prepared to do anything to grasp that check in her fingers. Words, then, passed between the two through eye contact.

'I'll pay for it,' Darien's eyes said.

'No, I'll pay for it,' Serena's eyes retorted.

The war was short. Darien was a gentleman after all and he simply used his intellect in this field to surpass the war that would ensue for a few moments. He reached down without removing eyes contact from the blonde, his fingers wrapping around the edge of the paper as he snatched back in the direction of himself.

"Hey! I'll pay for it," Serena said, grabbing the other side of the check. She had cat-like reflexes. Darien looked up at her again, a questioning look in his eyes. What could possibly make her so adamant about such a thing? "Please? I want to thank you for talking to me. Most people would just ignore me, but you didn't. I want to show my appreciation."

"That's not good enough reason to pay...," Darien replied, "...approxiamately twenty dollars." He had read the amount which was right next to a name and a circled phone number. Suddenly, he didn't feel like arguing about this any further. He felt the paper slipping between his fingers, shaking his head at the fact that the waitress had actually left her number for him.

"It's a Christmas gift," Serena replied, pulling the check away from him. "For your first Christmas." She pulled the money out of her purse. Four dollars for the waiter and sixteen to pay for the rest of the check. Darien evidently added the tip into the check quickly. The blonde glanced at it a second time as she noticed the happy face drawn on the paper with a simple name and a number left on the paper next to it. She couldn't help, but smile. That waitress was rather bold.

"I still don't think you should be paying, but since I don't have time to be arguing with you, then I guess I really have no choice...especially if it's for Christmas. Who could pass up a gift?" Darien agreed finally. He took note of the smile on her face, but decided to ignore it.

They both walked out of the restaurant in silence. Darien moved toward the traffic moving down the main street next to the restuarant that they had agreed upon. He reached his arm up high into the air, hailing one of the yellow vehicles over for the two of them. He opened the door, letting the blonde enter the car before him before getting in the back beside her. It wasn't a long ride to the airport. Darien was going to be catching his bus from there and Serena was picking up her rental car. Darien stepped out of the car, opening the door for the blonde. He closed it behind her even as he bent over and paid for the short ride to Logan. Both moved up onto the bustling sidewalk of people wandering every which direction catch planes and rides.

"So," Darien said, feeling awkward. He was staring down at the the shorter blonde at a loss for words. 'Damn one worded sentences...why can't I think of something to say?' He found his mind swimming with thousands of things he could say to her suddenly, but not one of them decided to come to his lips and actually fall out of them. As he drifted back to her eyes, she realized that she was expectantly waiting for him to say something. "Sorry," Darien muttered, smiling slightly out of embarrassment. "I guess now we go our separate ways, huh?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess," Serena said, returning the smile nervously. She brushed a stray, golden cololored hair behind her ear. She shuddered from the cold and wrapped her arms around herself. She was at the same odd loss for words. This situation had awkward written all over it.

"Well, it was nice meeting you, Serena Moone," Darien stated, truthfully. He had plastered on his business smile as his hand moved out. She shook it gingerly before letting her hand fall. She had done that many times in business situations, but it seemed out of place in this more personal setting.

"It was nice meeting you too, Darien Shields," Serena replied, equally as truthful. She had been looking downwards at the small pile of snow on the corner of the street that had crept up a bit onto the sidewalk. Her eyes now moved back up to meet his. "Oh, hey! If you don't end up spending Christmas with your friend next year, maybe you would want to spend it with my family?"

"Thanks for the offer, but I really don't know anything about you. I don't mean to offend, but I'd have to say no," Darien responded, putting his ungloved hands into his pockets. He leaned back, slightly, away from her. Suddenly, he felt that the distance between them wasn't sufficient enough.

"Very true. But, don't you live in Manhattan?" Serena asked, staring up at him, her eye cerulean eyes bright. She also felt that the distance between them was little as well and nearly took a step back. She stopped herself from doing in wonder as to what made her feel suddenly so uncomfortable after being so calm with him the last couple of hours.

"Of course, but-"

"Okay, then, I'll give you my number and we can get together sometime and get to know one another a little better," Serena said, smiling slightly as she gave another shudder. The wind had whipped by her, causing her shoulder to tilt up a bit in protection of her ears. She didn't want to just wander off and never speak to him again. That seemed odd for someone so friendly to randomly have lunch with someone and then never speak to them again. The awkwardness was fading from the blonde as she braved herself to become friends with the male before her.

"Okay...," Darien replied, shrugging slightly. What else was he supposed to say? The blonde began patting herself down as she pulled a piece of paper out of her purse. She admonished it between her slender fingers.

"You got a pen?" she asked, still looking for one. Her left hand was digging around in the small bag that seemed to contain many things that she didn't desire as he other hand was holding up the piece of paper. Darien began to look for pen in his jacket.

"Uh, no," Darien stated, looking back down to her as she sighed in defeat. He had know even before he had looked that he had no pen. All the pens he had were tucked safely away in his lab coat back at his practice.

"Oh, hell," she muttered as she reached back into her purse. She put the piece of paper away a pulled out a small piece of cardboard paper. She handed it to Darien. He didn't look at it as he took it, his attention drawn to the one speaking."It's my business card. It doesn't have my personal number on it, but it does have my cellphone. I don't know how well cellphones work in Maine, so I wouldn't advise calling the number for a couple of weeks."

"Gotcha," Darien muttered, smiling as he stared at the card. "I won't be getting back to Manhattan for a couple of weeks either, so you probably won't hear from me either."

"Okay, bye, Darien," Serena said, waving at him as she walked off. She entered the airport and left Darien standing there, staring at her business card. He had waved to her, but his eyes never left the card. The way the last name was spelled had caught his eyes. Didn't Andrew say something about his cousin, who was a lawyer, who owned a business called Law of the Moone? Darien was pretty sure he did, but he could only snub this off as a coincidence. There were plenty of people with the same last name, Moone, right?

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After driving for what seemed like an eternity, Serena reached her destination in her rental car. She pulled into the driveway of her old house and sighed as she turned car off. She stared at her old house, leaning gingerly onto the steering wheel to do so. It was a two story house with four bedrooms. One for each of the children-Alex, Sammy, and herself- and then one for the parents- Mr. and Mrs. Ken and Ilene Moone. But, Alex was gone now, so his room was free. When family came, Serena usually bunked in there with Sammy and her cousin Andrew. Her parents slept in Serena's old room and Andrew's parents- Mr. and Mrs. Matt and Julie Timbre (AN: Sorry to but in again, but Andrew's last name is different because Julie is Ken's younger sister...Timbre is Matt's last name...she changed it when she got married, get it?) - bunked in the master bedroom. Sammy's room was always left abandoned just in case anyone else ever visited. She didn't mind sharing the room with her brother and her cousin. It always made for interesting conversation and allowed her to catch up on their lives.

No one else ever showed up, but you never know. "Be prepared," Ilene always told Serena as a child. It stuck, but not as well as Ilene could've hoped. The blonde was never prepared for the unexpected. She was always repeating the phrase to others about having a general idea about being ready for just about everything happening, but Serena never took it to heart. She never went the extra mile to prepare herself for anything.

The house was mostly dark. It was 11 o'clock after all. The only light on was the one in the living room. Someone was most likely waiting up for her to arrive because she had no house key. 'Did mom forget that I know where the hidden spare key is? Maybe she moved it,' Serena thought, her fingers sliding over the keys in the ignition. She removed them as an odd thought struck her. What if they were up waiting for someone else? 'That's foolish,' she thought, darting away from any such thought.

She got out of the car and reached into the back seat for her laptop. She grabbed the handle to the bag it was in and pulled it out to set it on her shoulder before closing the car door. She automatically locked the doors and started on her walk to the front door. She walked around to the side of the house and up the front walk. She smiled as she stopped in front of the familiar white door with the Christmas wreath hanging on it. She then rang the doorbell, her finger depressing the button with ease. A small jingle rang out through the quiet house, but she saw a shadow moving.

Her tall, blonde cousin, Andrew, ended up opening the door. His face fell when he saw her at first. Serena saw the look and pouted, feigning hurt. "I'm hurt, Andrew," Serena whimpered, pretending to wipe tears out of her eyes. "Aren't you happy to see me?" She gave a small laugh at the thought of how absurd it would be if he wasn't actually happy to see her after a year.

"Of course I am!" Andrew replied, cheering up immensely. "I just thought you were someone else. You sure you're not hiding anyone in that bag of yours?"

"My bag!" Serena yelped as she pulled the bag closer to her as Andrew came near her to take it. She smiled as he wrapped her in a hug which she returned wholeheartedly. "It's so nice to see my wonderful cousin again."

"Same to you, Bunny," Andrew said, smiling slightly. He kissed the girl's forehead before linking arms with her and walking into the nice warm house. The blast of warm air felt good in comparison to the cold air that Serena had just removed herself from. Andrew closed the door behind the two of them, content that his cousin was with him to keep him company for the moment.

Nobody else seemed to be awake. 'Well, it _is_ late. I guess that's my fault though,' Serena thought, walking over to sit down on the couch. Her mind drifted back to the ebony haired man that she had spent a couple hours with. She knew that she had come to realize that she was attracted to him. However, his suave, charming nature had to be blamed for such a thing and no self-respecting female could resist someone who pulled out her chair for her. She resolved to just being friends with him, leading the thought of her attraction ever growing to anything more than that away from her mind.

The blonde's head jerked up from her thoughts as she had been undressing herself from her winter jacket. She had heard just the tail end of something that the only other occupant of the room had said."Huh? What was that Andrew?"

"I see that you're still a space cadet," Andrew said, giving a chuckle of amusement. This prompted the blonde to roll her eyes a bit, a small smile escaping onto her lips. "I asked you if you were tired and wanted to go to bed."

"No thanks. Maybe in a few," Serena murmured. She leaned back into the couch as warmth enveloped her. The material was a soft as well as plush and the cushion seemed to curve around her tiny frame as she bent into its comfort. It was nice and cozy in this old house of hers. And she knew that she would miss it terribly when she had to leave again, but that was just the nature of the beast. "So, is there really someone else coming here?"

"Yeah, a really good friend of mine that I haven't seen to in awhile. He lives in Manhattan, so you might know him," Andrew stated, smiling at the yawning blonde. The young woman had even proceeded to grab the jacket from just a small distance down the couch and lay it upon herself much like a blanket. The heat enveloped her, her exhaustion rising up on her. She needed to stop doing those late nights at the firm before leaving on vacation.

"I don't know. Manhattan's a pretty big city," Serena answered, closing her eyes. The lids of her eyes suddenly became and interesting swirl of colors as her brain began to bring her off into a world only she had visited, her dream world. As she fell into a slumber, she never heard Andrew's next question.

"Do you know a Darien Shields?"

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Chapter Two revision is completed. I hope you enjoy this. I'm really hoping to hear from some previous readers as I continue on writing this to see if the changes that I make, make the story flow much better.

Stay Tuned for Chapter Three: Breakfast...Darien arrives to find a huge shock, but not as big as the shock Serena will receive in the morning! Mental battles always reveal more than we're ready for!

KaBunny


	3. Breakfast

Author's Notes: Revision of Chapter Three...underway.

Title: The Christmas Spirit

Author: KaBunny

E-mail: PG-13

Chapter Three: Breakfast

Andrew looked over to his cousin when he didn't hear her answer. He rolled his eyes when he saw her peacefully sleeping on the couch, her lids drawn over her cerulean eyes and her breathing soft. 'I guess she had a long day,' Andrew thought, a smile gracing his face. 'I wonder what took her so long to get here. Normally she gets here by eight at the earliest. It's strange to see her getting here at eleven. Ah, well, I'll ask her in the morning why-'

Andrew's thoughts were abruptly cut off by the light knock on the door. The blonde male didn't have to wonder who it was and he wouldn't be surprised to find his perky cousin standig there. It could only be one person. He smiled as he stood up to go answer the door. He opened it to find whom he had been expecting all along. "Hey, Darien," Andrew said, pulling the door open wider for the ebony haired man.

"Hey Andrew," Darien replied, returning the warm smile that Andrew had just offered him. "Sorry it took forever. I had to stop to buy gifts and then, I had to rent a car because they wouldn't let me back on the bus. Something about my ticket being only good until I got _off _the bus. And then it started snowing like there would be no tomorrow." He didn't seem to be overloaded with baggage and Andrew wanted to ask him about it, but he saw his friend's eyes drifting to the sleeping figure on the couch. The ebony haired man seemed about to say something, but Andre piped up instead.

"Ah, it's fine," Andrew answered, shrugging. He closed the door behind Darien before moving over to stand next to his friend who had his hand in the air and his mouth open in bewilderment. "This is my cousin. She just got here about five minutes ago. She's the one I told you about. She owns that Law of the Moone organization."

"Yeah," Darien said, smiling a smile of knowing. He sighed a bit, dropping his arm to his side. He decided to accept that fate had a funny way of working. "I already met her."

"Huh?" Andrew asked, looking quite confused. "How?"

"Yup. We were on the same train and I just happened to get the seat next to hers," Darien answered, shrugging slightly. Andrew sat down on the couch next to the sleeping blonde as Darien took the chair that Andrew had been previously sitting in. "I didn't really know it was her until you just confirmed it by telling me the name of her business...or until I saw her snoozing on the couch like she had been on the train." Darien reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the business card that Serena had given him. He handed it to Andrew who smirked in surprise. "She gave me this and told me to call her when she got back from her family's. Looks like I already know her family."

"Evidently," Andrew stated, handing the card back to Darien. "Are you ready to go to bed?"

"Yeah, I'm beat," Darien replied, yawning.

"Your bedroom is upstairs. Take a right and then walk all the way to the end of the hall. That's your bedroom. I have to carry sleeping beauty upstairs," Andrew said, smiling at Darien sleepily.

"I have to get one of my suitcases first," Darien stated, standing up. He moved to the door and out of the house knowing that Andrew would probably be meandering upstairs.

Andrew didn't wait for him just as Darien had predicted. He stood up and turned to the sleeping blonde who was previously sitting next to him. He leaned over and put an arm under her legs and an arm around her back to support her. He picked her up with little trouble and turned around to see Darien coming back into the house with a small suitcase.

Darien closed the door behind himself and watched as Andrew walked over to him carrying Serena. "She has a tendency to fall asleep everywhere doesn't she?"

"Sometimes yes, but only when she's tired or quite bored," Andrew said, giving a small chuckle. "Did she drool on you when she passed out on the train?"

"Yeah, and she kissed me too," Darien stated rolling his eyes. He laughed when he saw the surprised look on Andrew's face. That had just been too good to pass up mentioning. "I'll explain that one in the morning Drew. It's far too late to talk about an already weird experience."

Andrew nodded, after shaking his head, before walking up the stairs in front of Darien. He was muttering something about putting the fire out in a second. Darien followed him up the stairs. He saw as Andrew dispersed off into a room on the right as he continued down the hall to the room on the end. He opened the door and looked around. There was a dresser and a bed. To the left of him was a door which was most likely a closet. It was perfect for Darien. It was barren and simple. Just like home.

He set his full suitcase on the top of his bed. He unzipped it, beginning to rummage around in the contents of it for something comfortable to wear to bed.

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Serena opened her eyes slowly and stretched as she yawned. She found her lids drifting closed again, her cerulean eyes being hidden by the world. She had a silent battle with her body that was only audible by the moan that she made. She wanted to roll out of bed and get something to quell her growling stomach, but it apearred that he body wanted her to slip back off to sleep. The blonde wanted nothing to do with it. She groaned again, rolling over. She sat up, defeating her body as her hands came up to rub the sleep out of her eyes. She glanced around the room and smiled gratefully as she realized that Andrew must've carried her up here last night. A small sigh of comfort escaped her lips. 'I wonder if his friend ever arrived?' Serena thought, pulling the covers off of her. The blonde took quick note of the wrinkled clothes that she had been wearing the previous day that were still wrapped around her frame. She made a mental note to stop falling asleep in random places. She, then, glanced to the other two beds in the room. One was still occupied, most likely by Sammy though.

The petite blonde girl rolled out of the bed, slipping her feet under her just in time. She smiled at her own lack of gracefulness before glancing at her appearance in the mirror above the dresser. Her hair was a little of a jumble and her clothing from the previous day was mussed as she had originally noted, but aside from that she looked fine. She picked up the brush from atop the dresser and brushed her long hair. It went down to about mid back, but Serena could remember a time when it was much longer. The top of it seemed rather straight in comparison to the curls that swirled toward the bottom of her hair. She tugged lightly at her bangs and pushed some tendrils over her shoulder.

After setting the brush back down satisfied, Serena headed downstairs, chasing after the smell of the breakfast cooking below. She entered her kitchen, a smile spread out wholeheartedly onto her face. She easily found her way to a seat and plopped her butt up onto it. The stool tucked her neatly into the island in the center of the rom where a few plates were stacked next to a small pile of forks and butter knives.

Ilene, the woman that birthed the perky blonde in the room, was standing in front of the stove. She was leaning over a pan and to the right of the stove, there was a bowl full of a brownish colored liquid next to the bread. Serena sighed as she inhaled the smell. She could almost taste it in her mouth. "Mmmmmm...French toast...my favorite!" Serena exclaimed.

"Mine too," A male voice said from the doorway. Serena arched a brow as she tried to place whose voice it was. The voice was familiar, but she couldn't think of a name, so instead she whirled around to see who it was. Darien smiled back at her as her mouth fell open.

"W-wha-? Who...h-...how and when?!!" Serena sputtered, jumping up off her chair and pointing an accused finger at him. "Are you some sort of stalker or something?!"

"Nope," Darien replied, looking himself over mockingly. He feigned looking offended before glancing back up at her after thoroughly appearing to check himself over. "Last time I checked I was a Darien." Serena's mouth fell open again. She couldn't believe that her odd meeting had twisted itself back on her. Fate had been drumming this idea up to place on her for a long while it seemed. The blonde found herself utterly flabbergasted at just such an occurence.

"So, you're the person joining us for Christmas as per request of Andrew. Welcome to the family, Darien dear," Ilene answered, as Serena's face became contorted with confusion. Her mother conitnued to cook as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Leave it to her mother to completely miss extraordinary events at their best. "Do you know one another, Serena?"

"He...He was...He was on the train next to me," Serena said, glancing at her mother as Ilene gave Serena a confused look. The blonde decided that she probably shouldn't make such a big deal out of such an odd occurence. She turned around, facing away from her mother as a blush found itself onto her cheeks. She began to find the table top very intriguing as she waited for the conversation to change itself.

"What she means is, I sat next to her on the train," Darien corrected, sitting down at the table next to the blonde that proceeded to try her best and act normal. The ebony haired man released a small snicker at her uncomfortable proceedings to the odd happenings. It had been much easier for him to let it sink in all night long that it had been for her to have it sprung on her in the morning. He felt that he was the lucky one.

"Yeah,...that," Serena said, turning back to eye Darien wearily. She was stil trying to fathom that this had occured. It brought more strange ideas to her head in wonderment of just what else would be in store for her this Christmas. "So what are you doing here again?" 'Did that sound rude?' she questioned herself. She blinked, shaking her head. "I'm sorry. It's just really creepy."

"Yeah, imagine...I come in last night to see you sleeping on the couch. Same dilemma, different time," Darien muttered, giving a small chuckle. "I'm Andrew's friend. You know, Andrew Timbre, your cousin?" He out his hand out to shake hers again. He found her hand slipping into his with ease as her eyes diverted themselves to the floor. She shook just as she had the previous day, using the correct amount of pressure. She did glance back up at him when her hand was no longer wrapped around his.

"Oh! So _you_ must've been who he was waiting up for last night," Serena replied, finally understanding it. She nodded her head as she placed a plat infront of him before pulling one infront of herself. She couldn't wait for her mother to finish the food that she was preparing. In fact, Serena was nearly drooling in anticipation. Silence had fallen inbetween the two of them as they both appeared to fall into a comfortable stand point.

"So, Darien, where are you from again?" Ilene asked, setting a plate full of delicious French toast in the middle of the table. The older woman began to serve the ebony haired man and placed some on her daughter's plate as well. Then she wandered to the cabinet to look for the maple syrup as Serena got up to get the butter. The blonde soon found herself, as quickly as possible, back infront of her food, buttering it like she hadn't eaten a day in her life.

"I'm from Manhattan. I work in a medical practice there. I'm a family practioner," Darien explained, smiling gratefully at Serena as she handed him the butter and a butter knife. He buttered his French toast not noticing the blonde next to her nearly drooling into her food as she poured the syrup onto it. Ilene did notice Serena's antics and stole the syrup from her in disdain before handing it to the ebony haired man with a smile. "Thanks, Mrs. Moone."

"Cute and polite...are you single too?" Ilene inquired, smiling mysteriously. The older woman released a small laugh.

"_MOTHER_!!!" Serena growled, dropping her knife when her mother asked. It clinked loudly on the glass plate that was swimming in the syrup she admonished on her food. The blonde easily found her cerulean eyes slitted at the woman that had birthed her. Darien seemed to be trying to ignore this encounter by munching on his breakfast, but it was hard even as Serena shifted her gaze back down to her food.

"Well, sweetie, you _do_ have to settle down at some point," Ilene replied, glancing to Darien before turning her attention back to cooking breakfast. The blnde growled, her teeth grinding togethr slightly. Serena had glanced down at her food, not feeling very hungry now that he mother had destroyed her appetite.

"Mother...," Serena grumbled, glaring at her dear, old mother's back. 'I can't believe that woman! She's just getting bolder as the years go on,' the blonde thought, still glaring at her mother's back as if she could bore holes through the woman with her eyes.

Darien looked from Ilene to Serena. The blonde seemed really upset about it, but the older woman didn't seemed phased by the anger put forth by her daughter. A small laugh escaped his lips. He couldn't help it. He could tell this argument must've happened every year, without fail. Serena would probably argue of how she was just fine without a husband and Ilene would probably argue that it goes against nature not to be married before your twenty-fifth year. It was quite hysterical when you were watching from the sidelines. But, alas, Darien contained his laughter when Serena glared at him too. I tmust've really upset her if she would turn such eyes on someone who was not involved in the least.

'Poor Serena,' Darien thought, mentally giving a chuckle. He could imagine himself in the same situation if he had parents. 'It's so amusing though.' Suddenly, he felt more at home than he had ever felt before. The comfort surrounded him and oddly enough, he was astonished by such an odd feeling. None of this had shown through on his face, however. Another thought also drifted across his mind and then an ideal followed; an ideal that he would never pursue. He thought about just what his life would be like if he did date the girl sitting next to him, playing with her food. As soon as it had appeared, however, he had brushed it aside once again.

'Oh, please,' Darien thought, biting into anothe piece of dripping deliciousness. 'I already feel like one of the family. More like a son than some outsider and I just got here. So, why would I want to go and screw it up by thinking about absurd things?' But, what caught him the most was he didn't know if the idea was so absurd. This idea drifted around as he continued to munch down his breakfast.

Darien sighed. He took the last bite of his French toast and pushed the plate away. He glanced up at Ilene just as she sat down with a plate of French toast in front of her. It was time to brush aside foolish notions and get back to the real world. "Um, Mrs. Moone?"

"Yes, deary?" Ilene asked, buttering her French toast. Serena was still oddly quiet.

"Would you like me to do the dishes when everyone is done eating?" Darien inquired, standing up as if to move toward the sink. He was most certainly gentlemanly.

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Chapter Three revision COMPLETE! Wow...I'm on a roll. Two chapters in one night.

Stay tuned for Chapter Four: Snow Angels...White winters definitely aren't overrated! Adults always revert back to children when playing in the snow...and children love having snow ball fights!

Ja ne! KaBunny


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